Ball-bearing.



4Patented Mar. 6, |900. R. E. KIMBALL.

BALL BEARING.

(Application led Bepi:` 7, 1899.}

Nu. 644,77l.

(No Model.)

ppp l PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT E. KIMBALL, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

BALL-BEARING.`

SPECIFICATION forming para of Letters Patent No. 44.771, dated Marcil e,1960'.

Application led September 7, 1899. Serial No. 729,675. (No model.)

T0 all la7/bont it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT E. KIMBALL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Ball-Bearings, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings.

In ball-bearings as commonly constructed there is considerable frictiondue to the contact of the balls with one another. To eliminate thatfriction, separators of various kinds have been employed to preventtheballs from touching. It is a question whether the friction in aball-bearingis materially reduced by the employment of separators,because while friction between the balls themselves is prevented thereis necessarily more or less friction between the balls and theseparators.

The object of my invention is to substantially prevent friction betweenthe balls without using some friction-producing device to effect thatresult. This result is attained through the peculiar form of thenon-rotative part of the ball-raceway, whereby as the balls comeintothat part of the race way where they support the weight their rate ofmovement is gradually accelerated, with the result that theyautomatically separate.

The present invention resides in the form of the non-rotative part ofthe ball-raceway and in the combination of parts constituting thebearing,substantially as shown and described, and pointed out definitelyin the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front view, partly in longitudinalsection, of a ball-bearing embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end viewthereof, with the position of the balls therein indicated by dottedlines. Fig. 3 is an inside view of the non-rotative member of thebearing. Figa is a bottom edge viewof the same; and Figs. 5, 6, and 7are respectively radial sections on the lines 5, 6,

rotating by means of pins a, which project from their outer faces andenter holes in the forks A. These non-rotative members,which I call "fcups, have central openings, which are oppositely screw-threaded andscrew onto the oppositely-threaded ends cc of the axle C. To adj ustthese cups, this axle may be rotated by any suitable meansas, forexample, a screwdriver which engages in one of the transverse slots c2in the ends of the aXle--whereby the cups, if they are prevented fromrotating, will be drawn toward or from each other. The nuts I-I clampthe forks against the cups and act as jam-nuts to prevent the accidentalturning of the axle. 1

D represents the hub of the front wheel. In vthe ends of this hub aresecured the rotative members of the bearing-MViZ., the internal cones EE. These cones and the cups B form the vball-raceways in which the ballsG are confined. The cones E are true cones, and the surfaces areinclined, preferably, forty-five degrees to the axis. Each of the cups Bhas an annular groove b, in which are two bearing-surfaces b b2, whichlie at an angle to each other, substantially asshown. In the upper halfof the cup these surfaces are at a convenient angle to each other, thatshown being a right angle for the quadrant from the'front of the wheelto the extreme top and a graduallywidening angle from there for the nextquadrant. Thus in Figs.

l and 5 the surface h is vertical and the surface h2 horizontal inradial section. In the lower part, preferably the lower half of theraceway, the angle between the surfaces b h2 is gradually increasing inthe direction :in which the balls travel. In a bicycle, where the ballsalways travel in the same direction, the angle increases, preferably,uniformly from the front of the bearing to the rear. In other words, theangle between these surfaces hegins to increase where the balls begin tosupport the load and continuously increases throughout such support.Fig. 7 is a radial section of the bearing at its widest angle. Fig. 6 isa similar section at about the lowest point of the circumference, andFig. 5 is a similar section at a point in the upper half of thebearing.v

The balls in the raceway rotate upon their s estivi axes g3 in contactwith the surfaces b b2 of the cup in an upper part of the bearing in thecircles indicated by g g in Fig. 5 5 but where the balls enter that partof the raceway wherein the angle between the surfaces b' b2 is increasedthe balls turn about their axes against said surfaces b b2 in largercircles, which circles increase proportionately to the increase in theangle between the surfaces b b2. The balls in that part of the racewayshown in Fig. 6 turn on their axes in the larger circles indicated byg', while where the angle is widest, Fig. 7, they turn upon thestilllarger circles g2. The result is that as the balls enter that partof the raceway where the angle between the surfaces b b2 begins toincrease the speed of' the balls increases,and hence each ball graduallydraws away from the ball behind it until saidballs pass the point wherethe angular divergence of the surfaces b b2 is greatest, after which,when the balls enter that part of the raceway wherein the angle betweenthe surfaces b b2 is decreasing and where they are not under pressure,they come together. the upper half of the bearing may contact to thesame extent that they do in the correspending part of an ordinaryball-hearing; but since they bear no weight and are subject to verylittle pressure such contact creates very little friction.

If the bearing is intended for use with a shaft revolving in onedirection as often as the other, the widest angle of the annular groovewill be the lowest point in the bearing, where the weight supported isgreatest, and the angle will decrease from this point in each direction.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. In a ball-bearing, a non-rotative member, provided with an annulargroove having two bearing-surfaces which are disposed to The balls in-angle in both directions from that part of the circumference where theballs support the weight, substantially as specified.

3. In a ball-bearing, a non-rotative mem;

ber provided with an annular groove having two bearingfsurfaces whichare disposed angularly with respect to each other, the angle betweenthem being a gradtially-decreasing angle in both directions and for apart of the circumference from near a point where the weight is to besupported, and a uniform an# gle for the remaining part of the circumference, combined with a rotative member havi ing a bearing-surface, andballs confined in the raceway between said members, substantially asspecified.

4. A non-rotary axle having oppositely# threaded ends, two non-rotatingball-bearing' cups upon' said threaded ends, each having an annulargroove with two ball-bearing sur'- faces which are angularly disposedwith respect to each other, said angle being a gradually-decreasingangle in both directions and for a part of the circumference from theplace where the weight is to be supported, and means for preventing therotation of said cups,

with a rotative hub, two cones secured in said hub, and balls confinedin the racewaysbetween said cups and conessubstantially as specified. l,

In testimony whereof` I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

ROBERT E. KIMBALL.A

Witnesses:

MAUDE L. KIMBALL, FANNIE E. KIMBALL.

